The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to wind turbines and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for controlling acoustic emissions of a wind turbine.
Wind turbines have been receiving increased attention for being environmentally safe and relatively inexpensive alternative energy sources. With the growing interest in alternative energy sources, considerable efforts have been made to develop wind turbines that are reliable and efficient. Although wind turbines do not emit greenhouse gases, a growing concern related to wind turbines is the emission of noise pollution. As such, the ability to control and/or manage perceived acoustic emissions of wind turbines facilitates integrating wind turbines into society.
A known method for determining sound emissions of a wind turbine is the IEC 61400-11 standard. More specifically, the IEC 61400-11 standard uses a microphone positioned on the ground a predetermined distance away from the wind turbine to determine at least a sound level and a sound power level of the wind turbine. Notably, determining sound emissions using known methods such as the IEC 61400-11 standard generally involves a relatively large margin of error.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and/or system for determining acoustic emissions of a wind turbine and controlling and/or managing perceived acoustic emissions of the wind turbine based on the determined acoustic emissions.